Mike Willmon: “I've tore it all down, took the front end down, took the engine. The infamous exploding gas tank is gone. Now, the batteries take up the back trunk area where the gas tank used to be as well as the back seat area.”

Willmon did all this for the love of using his electric vehicle or EV to compete in drag races.

John Wayland: “You know what I call Hybrids? They're training wheels for Americans.”

Electric vehicles are the wave of the future, says Wayland. He's on a mission to change their image.

John Wayland: "I like to say that the electric car has been in the hands of the wrong people for too long…the environmentalists. Now, I am an environmentalist. I love trees, but I don't hug them. I love animals. I like clean air. But I like to have fun. And I realized you have to make the electric car fun and exciting."

Wayland and Willmon use old-style batteries. The major carmakers today are all moving to lithium batteries, akin to those used in laptop computers. Well-known battery engineer David Swan says the lithium batteries offer more power, longevity and range.

David Swan: "We always knew we could produce very powerful batteries. But even I am surprised how quickly that's happened, more than I would have expected."

The poster child for the progress of electric cars is a sports car developed by California-based Tesla Motors. Its first production model is called the Roadster. The company says its 100-thousand dollar showpiece can travel 244 miles on one charge. And at Portland International Raceway, the Tesla Roadsters were all the buzz.

Hot rods and souped up cars line up for the regular Friday night drag races. They're open to anyone. On this summer weekend, enough electric vehicle enthusiasts are competing for could be the largest electric drag racing event ever. The biggest crowd pleasers are the match ups of electric vehicles against their gas-guzzling counterparts.

Paul Gulick: "I have just now done my very first drag race. And I beat the gas-powered guy that I was up against by a mile. And I got to run it up to over a 100 miles an hour and did it in under 13 seconds from a dead stop. So that was fun."

The gas-powered hot rod Gulick beat was a menacing turbo-charged Volkswagen Beetle. It's owner Travis Matney of Longview says he had no idea he was up against an electric car.

Travis Matney: “I was impressed how well that car ran. It definitely put me in my place.”

Overall it was a mixed night for electric vehicles. They clocked impressive times. But several cars with old style batteries — including Mike Willmon's Ford Pinto — lost power altogether. In the big picture, major car companies such as GM and Nissan are polishing production electric vehicles. And Tesla Motors is using low-interest government loans to develop its second model. The family sedan is pegged to sell for about 50-thousand dollars. Come back in a few years, you might see those cars drawing grins at the Friday night drag races.